Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST)

Team-Teaching Builds Skills, Lives

Washington’s Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training Program (I-BEST) quickly teaches students literacy, work, and college-readiness skills so they can move through school and into living wage jobs faster.

Pioneered by Washington’s community and technical colleges, I-BEST uses a team-teaching approach. Students work with two teachers in the classroom: one provides job-training and the other teaches basic skills in reading, math or English language. Students get the help they need while studying in the career field of their choice; they learn by doing.

The I-BEST model is also used in academic transfer classes so students can brush up their skills as they learn college-level content toward a degree.

I-BEST challenges the traditional notion that students must move through a set sequence of basic education or pre-college (remedial) courses before they can start working on certificates or degrees. The combined teaching method allows students to work on college-level studies right away, clearing multiple levels with one leap.